The Engagé RSE label, the royal road to sustainable tourism

Summer vacation is just around the corner! Because tourism generates a variety of impacts, the most visible of which are ecological, more and more of the sector’s institutional players are committing themselves to more responsible tourism.
And to show it off! These include the Anjou and Haute-Garonne departmental tourism agencies, which have applied to AFNOR Certification for the Engagé RSE label. This goal was recently achieved, as was Charentes Tourisme, newly awarded the label at “progression” level (level 2 out of 4).

Elodie Mercier, head of territorial development at Haute-Garonne Tourisme, explains: “In 2019, we initiated an action plan to promote sustainable tourism. The idea was, for example, to balance the flow of visitors between over-visited sites and others that were not as well promoted.” Adding: “Alongside this desire, a new demand has emerged, heightened by the crisis in the covid: that for a more authentic, nature-friendly tourism offering. As a result, outdoor activities have exploded.

Beyond intentions and impressions

By the time the AFNOR auditor visits Toulouse in March 2023, many actions have already been implemented. That said, the approach has enabled us to better measure the impact of the measures taken, by means of relevant indicators. Because the whole point of the Engagé RSE label is to go beyond intentions and impressions: the exercise is part of a logic of continuous improvement, with a reference framework that objectifies progress and weaknesses.

This is the spirit with which the Anjou departmental tourism agency initiated its approach: “We had drawn up a multi-year development plan highlighting the notions of sustainable tourism. However, the Engagé RSE certification process provided us with a methodology enabling us to evaluate and monitor our actions over the long term” , explains Alice Thavez, Sustainable Development and CSR Project Manager. The same goes for Charentes, where the assessment audit came at the start of a 2023-2028 CSR roadmap. An appointment has already been made for the follow-up audit, which takes place eighteen months after the initial audit.

In addition to its contribution in terms of management, the audit also enables us to identify very concrete areas for improvement. We were surprised by the scope of the Engagé RSE label, which concerns both the company’s internal performance and the relevance of the actions undertaken for the benefit of operators in the sector,” sums up Elodie Mercier, for Haute-Garonne. The audit revealed areas for improvement, such as the need to improve dialogue with our stakeholders, by asking them about their vision of our approach and their expectations.

In Anjou, Alice Thavez confirms: “Although we were already committed to sustainable development objectives, the Engagé RSE labeling process challenged us in new ways. That’s why it’s a good idea to seek the advice of an outside eye. For example, we took advantage of our regular meetings with stakeholders to structure our discussions on social and environmental responsibility objectives.

A doubly virtuous approach

The AFNOR auditor explores all the subjects that contribute to the qualitative orientation of the tourism offer, from the allocation of financial aid to the development of partnerships, via promotional policy and events. We also look at how to allocate and optimize material and human resources, mobilize internal and external skills, ensure that CSR objectives are taken on board by all teams, and raise public awareness of good tourism practices.

“Our mission is to help tourism operators move towards a more virtuous form of tourism. The fact that we ourselves are involved in a certification process based on highly advanced standards gives us the ideas we need to make progress ourselves, but also to help the whole industry move forward. It’s a doubly virtuous approach,” enthuses Elodie Mercier in Haute-Garonne.

Often, the certification process serves as a trigger for large-scale actions. “One of the big projects to come is our carbon footprint. Without the Engagé RSE label, I’m not sure we would have taken on this challenge,” confides Alice Thavez en Anjou. Elodie Mercier agrees: “We’re going to measure Haute-Garonne Tourisme’s carbon footprint to identify our various sources of emissions and prioritize our actions. In the meantime, we’re also looking at our digital footprint, with the aim of training our communications department in digital sobriety.

 

Finally, the Engagé RSE label brings double recognition: internally, for the collective work carried out within the labelled company in favor of its social and environmental objectives, but also externally, in the eyes of its partners, interlocutors and contributors. Charentes Tourisme presents itself as ” a structure that assumes the impact of its decisions and is committed to contributing to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on a daily basis “. This distinctive sign is the antithesis of the pure communication operations into which the tourism sector can sometimes fall, flirting with greenwashing.

Featured image: The commune of Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges, Haute-Garonne ©Marc Barbaresco